


Overdue

by wayward_avenger



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), BAMF Pepper Potts, Bucky Is a Good Bro, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Endgame fix it, Gen, He's literally gonna cry in every chapter, Hurt Peter, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter-centric, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Sickfic, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Lives, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric, Tony/Peter Hug, peter is sad, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-03-07 22:11:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18882256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_avenger/pseuds/wayward_avenger
Summary: Immediately after Tony's snap, in which Tony lives and RDJ's behind the scenes video of the Iron!dad Spider!Son hug/kiss actually happened.------“Peter?” The world came rushing back like mental whiplash.He looked up at his mentor, tears cascading down his face. He saw Tony come towards him with his arms extended slightly and before he knew it, he was hugging Tony fiercer than he had ever hugged anyone. He began to shake violently as the memories from Titan and the weight of the most recent battle came crashing down around him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone! This is my first ever fanfic, so please be kind! I never had a big enough desire to write a fic of my own until Endgame destroyed me and RDJ gave us that BTS video of the Iron!dad Spider!son kiss...

The air was still. All of the Avengers took a collective breath as they watched Thanos’s armies disappear.

Tony gasped for air as he knelt down on the ground, his right hand and arm searing with pain. He wrenched off the makeshift gauntlet, which began to crumble at his touch. The sight under the gauntlet nearly made him faint. The skin on his hand and arm was blackened and burned, crackling like lava. The remnants of the stones’ power were still pulsing through his veins, but the lights grew fainter and fainter with each beat of his still pounding heart. All he wanted to do was rest, to lie here on this charred ground. One image burst through his mind before he could carry through.

_Peter._

He had not seen him come through the portals when the armies came.

 _What if he hadn’t come back? What if he was still…_ but no. He couldn’t think that. He _had_ to be alive. He felt a tear of fear run down his cheek, threatening to burst the dam of emotion that was surely just beyond reach until…

“Mr. Stark?” Tony heard a soft fall of feet on the rubble that could only belong to Peter Benjamin Parker.

He didn’t want to look up. He couldn’t look up. What if he was imagining the voice? He couldn’t bear it.

Another tear made its escape to freedom as Tony stared at the ground. And then he felt gentle hands on his shoulders. The hands were trembling slightly. It was only until the hands came close to his inured arm that he winced and looked up.

_Peter_.

 

The residual crashes, the crackling fires, the shouts and commotion of the surviving armies was drowned out as he stared at the face in front of him. It was like looking at the sun. Peter Parker was standing in front of him. His intern. His mentor. His _son_. The last five years both came crashing back and also didn’t seem to matter at all, because he was _here_. Part of his mind couldn’t believe it. All the nights of waking up from nightmares where he couldn’t save the kid, Peter begging Tony to save him, Peter dissolving in Tony’s arms made his mind protect itself with shock. He looked around.

The sky was a cloudy orange. There was smoke and fire everywhere he looked. He couldn’t imagine a more desolate sight. But then the sun and stars spoke again.

 

“Mr. Stark? Can you hear me?”

 

Tony looked again, begging his heart to believe he was real. He reached his left hand up and Peter’s hand grasped it firmly. Tangibly. _Real_.

“Can you stand up, Mr. Stark?” Peter’s voice sounded scared and concerned this time. _No. Please don’t be scared. You deserve to never be scared again in your life_.

Tony felt the hand pull him upward and Tony stood, swaying on his feet slightly. He looked at Peter again and his dulled senses seemed to explode. He could feel the wind on his face, the smoke in his nose, the heat of the fire on his skin, the ground beneath his feet.

“Peter?” he whispered.

“Yeah, it’s me, Mr. Stark!” he replied, sounding immensely relieved. Before Tony knew it, Peter exploded into one of his single-breath tangents.

“Do you remember when we were in space? And we fought Thanos? And the Guardians of the Galaxy were there? It was so strange because I remember getting all dusty and…and…” Peter’s voice faltered, as his eyes became unfocused. He looked at Tony and the older man was surprised to see tears in Peter’s large brown eyes. He wasn’t as surprised to find that he also had tears in his own eyes. Before either of them could make sense of this, Tony was pulling Peter into a hug.

_It’s not a hug, I’m just grabbing the door. We’re not there yet._

_And if you died, I feel like that’s on me._

_Pete you gotta let go I’m gonna catch you._

_You’re alright-_

_I lost the kid…_

                                                            _______________________________

 

Peter stared at Tony with a worried gaze. His head felt funny, like he was coming out of anesthesia. But he had to talk to Mr. Stark! He had to find out what was happening.

“Do you remember when we were in space? And we fought Thanos? And the Guardians of the Galaxy were there? It was so strange because I remember getting all dusty and…and…” his voice trailed off. He gasped as painful images came shooting into his brain.

 

_He was on Titan with its orange sky; the only sound came from a faint wind._

_His spidey sense was screaming at him danger danger danger. But where was it? Thanos had gone._

_Danger danger danger._

_“Mr. Stark?”_

_His fingertips felt like television static, like when your leg falls asleep. But then he felt his fingers fusing back together. Disintegrate. Heal. Disintegrate. Heal. He could feel his insides going through the same motions. He dared not look down at his feet._

_“I don’t feel so good.”_

_“You’re alright.” Was he? Mr. Stark wouldn’t lie to him, but this definitely wasn’t normal._

_“I don’t…I don’t know… I don’t know what’s happening.”_

_Danger danger danger._

_His legs gave way and he slammed into his mentor’s chest, gripping his back as he felt tears spring into his eyes. He gripped the back of Tony’s suit until he realized that he couldn’t feel his fingertips. Oh god, where were his fingertips?_

_“Save me. Save me,” he begged. “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, Mr. Stark, please, I don’t want to go!” His body was screaming in pain, still trying to keep up the cycle of Disintegrate-Heal-Disintegrate-Heal._

“Peter?” The world came rushing back like mental whiplash.

He looked up at his mentor, tears cascading down his face. He saw Tony come towards him with his arms extended slightly and before he knew it, he was hugging Tony fiercer than he had ever hugged anyone. He began to shake violently as the memories from Titan and the weight of the most recent battle came crashing down around him.

 

“Oh, _kid_ ”

 

_________________________________

 

Tony watched as the kid seemed to enter some internal struggle. He saw his eyes dart back and forth in shock. He saw tears begin to pool in those beautiful brown eyes he hadn’t seen for five years. _Five years. Oh God, Peter._

 

“Oh, _kid_ ” he breathed before wrapping Peter in a hug that was five years overdue. He couldn’t believe he was holding his kid. He tightened his grip as Peter began to sob and shake even harder. He placed his good hand on Peter’s head and stroked the matted curls. He lifted his head, unable to hold back, and kissed Peter gently on the cheek, tears now flowing freely down his face.

 

He kept his hand on Peter’s head as Peter’s breathing began become irregular.

 

“Shhh, Peter. Shhhh, it’s alright,” Tony said blindly, wanting to say anything to take away whatever was hurting his kid so badly. As if Peter could read his mind, he whimpered into Tony’s shoulder,

 

“I felt it, Mr. Stark. My body tried so hard to stay alive. But I felt it. I felt it all.” Peter felt a fresh sob escape his throat.

 

Tony didn’t know what to say. What do you say when your child tells you they have felt what it’s like to die?

“Shhh. You’re safe, Peter. Focus on the ground under your feet. You’re here. You’re alive. I’m here.” he drabbled, repositioning his grip on the boy’s back.

_And I’m never leaving._

 

They stood there for what seemed like hours, each trying to absorb the physical affection that they so desperately craved. Eventually, they broke apart as Peter seemed to stumble.

 

“Pete, you alright?” Tony asked, fully seeing the boy for the first time. What he saw was not a pretty sight. There were gashes and cuts littering the boy’s face; he was also sporting a black eye. Peter seemed to hunch inward on himself as he held his stomach. Tony’s eyes traveled to Peter’s abdomen and felt a chill run down his spine. The boy’s left side was drenched in blood, his suit torn open. Both men seemed to realize at the same time that their shock was wearing off. Their fight or flight calmed. Their adrenaline diminishing. Tony felt his whole right side erupt in pain as he had never imagined it. He couldn’t stifle the strangled scream that escaped his lips. Meanwhile, Peter swayed, looking down at his own body.

 

“Mr. Stark? I- I think… I don’t… Tony,” he mumbled as he collapsed onto the rubble.

 

“Peter!” Tony choked through his own pain. He crouched down beside the kid, who was barely conscious at this point, trying to ignore the building pain in his hand and arm. Suddenly, Tony heard someone running towards where they were huddled.

 

“Tony! Oh god, Tony.” It was Steve.

 

“The kid. Get…the kid…” Tony gasped, black spots dancing across his vision.

 

“Peter…” he gasped, nearly crawling on the ground to grab his hand. Steve’s steady hand caught his own, holding him back.

 

“Tony, we’ve got him. Don’t worry.” Steve said softly.

 

“Steve…the kid… save him… _please_ ,” he whimpered, grabbing the front of Steve’s uniform. He felt tears well up in his eyes once again.

 

“That’s right Tony, let go. It’ll be alright,” Steve continued.

 

For the second time in his life, Tony saw the brilliant light yet again in an hour of need as Captain Marvel landed lightly on the ground beside Steve.

 

“Hey, New Blood…” Tony breathed.

 

Carol smiled. “Let me take him, Steve,” she said quietly.

 

She bent down over Peter, who was barely conscious, but clearly trying to fight to stay awake. “Hey, Peter Parker,” she said gently as she lifted him off the ground and flew into the air.

 

Tony struggled to look up at Peter being taken away, not going unnoticed by Steve.

 

“He’ll be ok, Tony,” he said, but as soon as Carol was out of sight, Tony let out another strangled cry of pain and coughed, revealing specks of crimson blood.

 

“Tony!” Steve cried, lowering Tony fully to the ground. For the fourth time, Tony heard someone coming closer, this time, a metal clang of feet on the ground.

 

“Oh god, Tony,” a voice said. A voice that sounded like songbirds and love. Of _home_. He felt her soft hand on his face and vaguely registered her concerned eyes searching his face.

 

“Hey, Pep,” he breathed, struggling to stay conscious.

 

“Tony. _Tony_. Stay with me. Look at me,” she said urgently. She turned to Steve. “I’ll take him,” she said and without another word, she lifted him up in her arms as they shot into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Tony…” Steve shuddered from the descending quinjet. He landed harshly on the ground as soon as the bomb bay doors were open wide enough for him to slip through. He ran to the doors of the facility as they whisked Tony around the corner.

“Peter…” Tony gasped as he soared through the air.

 The rush of wind in the absence of his usual ever-present suit made him gasp and sputter. He felt a hand cradle his head onto something metal, making the wind drag less severe.

 

“Tony, hold on. Don’t try and talk right now,” he heard Pepper soothe.

He was too exhausted to protest and tried to focus on keeping himself grounded even though he was in the air. His skin pulsed with what he thought must be residual radiation until it summed in his face, which felt like it had burst into flames. His body felt as though it was on fire as nausea swelled in his throat.

 

_Oh, god…_

“Tony? What is it, what’s the matter?” Pepper asked, worriedly. He must have said that last part out loud.

“H..hurts,” he whimpered.

 

“Just try and relax, Tony. We’re almost there,” Pepper reassured, almost as much to herself as to him.

 

He felt a sudden lurch as Pepper landed on some sort of ground, as well as a faint vibration as feet came hurrying towards him as he was lain down on a flat surface. He only caught glimpses of the conversations held in frantic undertones.

 

“…radiation…”

 

“yes…gauntlet….”

 

“…over…”

 

His head was spinning, the nausea continuing to climb in his stomach and throat as his face continued to burn. His limbs were trembling restlessly, unable to relax due to the radiation.

 

“Tony?” he heard, not quite sure from whom.

 

“…burn… up…”

 

“…why…e…shaking…”

 

He couldn’t focus on whose voice was whose or how he knew which direction was the ground. The next thing he knew, he was leaning over what he vaguely gathered to be a stretcher as he vomited. The pain was incredible. It seemed to reverberate through every pore of his body- the intensity of it making him feel even sicker as another wave of nausea hit him. He cried out as pain exploded in his head, residual bile threatening to make reappearance. He tried to grip the stretcher with both hands but realized he couldn’t feel his right arm, or rather, it throbbed so powerfully that subtle feelings couldn’t be detected. He felt hands pulling his shoulders as he was returned to his back. He could feel tears cascading down his cheeks and into his hairline, but he couldn’t quite remember crying. He felt an oxygen mask being secured onto his face as another wave of agony originated from his arm and coursed through his body, eliciting a feeble shriek from his lips. He vaguely registered the ground vibrating, strong torrents of air, and the sound of an engine while his world continued to spin as he felt his eyes roll back into his head.

________________________

 

“ _Tony…_ ” Steve shuddered from the descending quinjet. He landed harshly on the ground as soon as the bomb bay doors were open wide enough for him to slip through. He ran to the doors of the facility as they whisked Tony around the corner.

 

_I couldn’t stop him._

_And I needed you._

_We lost. And you weren’t there._

_I got nothing for you. No coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options…. no trust._ Liar _._

Steve’s eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked up at the star strewn sky as he felt tears leak out of the eyes that felt like they had aged years in the past few days. The eyes that had seen galaxies. The eyes that had seen a universe of armies, magic portals, aliens, and death. The eyes that had seen Tony with that gauntlet.

 

“Steve,” a voice said as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked around and saw Pepper, her eyes bloodshot and tired. She smiled even though he knew she must be breaking.

 

“Pepper, I’m so sorry,” Steve said, unsure of what to say. Pepper just looked at him, her eyes still filled with unshed tears, her lips pinching as she tried to stay composed.

 

“Pepper. You don’t have to be strong,” he said softly. A tear fell out of her blue eyes.

 

Steve pulled her into a gentle hug as she broke, sobs making her body shudder in Steve’s strong arms.

 

“He missed you,” she said quietly into Steve’s chest. They pulled apart. “He never gave up hope that you’d reunite one day.”

 

_No trust. Liar._

Steve looked down at the ground, guilt flooding his mind.

 

“I just wish it had been sooner,” he admitted.

 

“I know,” Pepper said with a sad smile. “But the past is behind us and Tony needs us  _now_.”

 

“I don’t know how he could ever forgive me,” Steve mumbled.

 

“Tony’s not the same person he was five years ago. The man that I began working for almost 15 years ago is not the man I married, or even the one that’s here now in this moment. I don’t recognize him in the best ways,” she said, looking at the facility doors. She looked into Steve’s face.

“I don’t think the issue is how he could forgive you you. It’s if you’ll be able to forgive yourself.”

 

Steve just looked at her, shocked by the truth of her words.

 

His reverie was interrupted by someone coming out of the facility doors. The two looked up and saw a very exhausted looking Bruce Banner.

 

“Oh Bruce, how is he?” Pepper asked, abruptly being reminded of her current anxiety.

 

“I…I don’t know yet,” he said, somewhat regretfully. “Right now, we’re dealing with the immediate radiation poisoning symptoms. We couldn’t get an exact reading on stones when we had them, but I’d say the radiation given off by the gauntlet reached up to a few thousand mSv. How well he does all depends on his body and how well he can fight it. Pepper, I’m hopeful but he…there’s a chance he may not make it. Death from radiation poisoning isn’t always immediate,” Bruce admitted as Pepper’s hand covered her mouth. Steve put his arm around her and pulled her closer as she turned her face into his arm.

 

“Is there anything else, Bruce?” Steve asked.

 

“They had to amputate his arm. They’re still in surgery now. I’m sorry, there was no chance of saving it- it took the brunt of the radiation.”

 

Steve let out a deep breath as he continued to hold Pepper, who was still crying silently.

 

“You should go and see him,” Bruce continued. “He’ll be out of surgery in a few hours. Peter’s here too. He’s also in surgery, but he should make a full recovery.”

 

“Peter?” Steve asked, confused for a moment.

 

“From Germany. Spiderman,” Pepper explained, wiping the tears from her face, “He meant as much to Tony as Morgan does. He’s why he decided to help you after all.”

 

_I lost the kid._

The kid. Queens. Steve felt his stomach drop as he thought about the idea of a teenager experiencing a battle like this.

 

“Come on, let’s go see them,” Pepper whispered.

 

She placed her hand on his back as she ushered him through the doors after Bruce, both heroes unsure of what they would find on the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii I know I put Tony through the wringer in this chapter (sorry not sorry) but I wanted to portray radiation poisoning accurately. Don't worry, Tony will be ok...eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

_I felt it all, Mr. Stark._

_I felt it._

_I felt it all._

Peter didn’t feel anything, which he chose to appreciate for the time being. It was nice to be numb, to not care that he didn’t know what was going on. He felt warm and comfortable for the time being. Did he even have a body?

 

He drifted.

\---

 

_Oh, kid_

_Pete, you alright?_

 

His eyes felt heavy this time.  _He had eyes_. He discovered that wherever he was, it was dark, except for a small light in the periphery of his closed eyelids. He felt something pull at the sides of his face while noticing a constant  _whoosh_  of cool air on his mouth. He tried to move his arm to ascertain what it was, but a small sharp pain in his hand and the general heaviness of his limbs stopped him from moving any further. He settled by moving his fingers where they rested on something cool and scratchy.  _Sheets_.

 

He heard a soft beeping in the background as he turned his head to the side. The beeping began to quicken as he began to wish someone would turn it off. He began to breathe in the cool air at a heavier rate as his fingers continued to try to gather as much information as they could about the sheets that rested beneath them.

_The kid. Get…the kid…_

_Steve…the kid… save him…please_

He wanted to help the man who was pleading in his head. He’d heard that voice before. He’d  _felt_  that voice before.

 

_Mr. Stark? I- I think… I don’t… Tony_

Tony.  _Tony. Mr. Stark._

The beeping increased and he heard shuffling around him.

 

“Peter? Peter? Can you hear me? Open your eyes, son.”

 

Peter felt as though he was lifting a building off of his eyelids as he wrenched them open with a gasp. His enhanced senses were prickling slightly as he took stock of where he was. He was in a hospital. He was lying on a bed with white linen sheets, an oxygen mask over his face. Suddenly, the rest of his senses came rushing back and he let out a sharp moan of pain as he attempted to grip his abdomen. A strong, yet gentle hand stopped his own while the voice said,

 

“Peter, relax. It’s ok, son. You’re safe. You’re ok.”

 

Peter turned his head to see none other than Steve Rogers sitting beside his bed.

 

“Hey, Queens,” he said with a smile.

 

As exhausted as Peter was, he couldn’t help but stumble.

 

“Mr. Captain…I mean…Captain Steve…I mean Mr. America…” he fumbled.

 

Steve chuckled lightly, “Steve is fine, Peter.”

 

His mind felt sluggish as he tried to remember what he was doing there and then…

 

“Tony!” he gasped, trying to sit up, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask. He immediately regretted it as pain exploded in his stomach and nausea built in his throat. He felt Steve push him down gently as he tried to focus on breathing at a normal rate.

 

“Take it easy, Peter. Just relax,” Steve soothed.

 

Peter took a few breaths, but then turned to Steve and asked more firmly, “Where is Tony, Steve.”

 

Steve only gave him a sympathetic look.

 

Peter repeated, both anger and panic rising in his chest, “Where. Is. He.”

 

Steve looked as though he was trying to choose his words carefully as he looked down at the floor.

 

“He’s here,” he stated simply.

 

“Where is  _here_ ,” Peter replied, equally as blunt. He realized he didn’t know where he was, now that the medbay that he would normally go to at the Avenger’s compound was now in ruins.

 

“S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility, outside of Washington D.C.,” Steve replied, as if he was regretting saying even that. “Tony is in the room next door.”

 

“I want to see him,” Peter said automatically, taking off his oxygen mask, “I need to see him.”

 

“Peter, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Steve said gently.

 

“Why the hell not?!” Peter said, his voice rising, “I need to see him. I need to talk to him, I need to tell him-“ Tears started forming in his eyes as his heart monitor started to blare. The door to his room opened and Bruce Banner walked in. Peter’s confusion at the sight of the doctor derailed his panic for a moment.

 

“I thought you were green,” he stated shortly. He clarified, “…like, all green.”

 

“I was,” Bruce replied, “My transformations are a spectrum. I can choose how much of the Hulk I want. I just figured human hands would be most adept for a hospital setting,” he finished, shrugging and pulling out a penlight. Peter then realized that he didn’t actually care.

 

“I want to see Tony,” he repeated. Bruce looked at Steve but didn’t reply at once.

 

“I know,” Bruce said, almost sadly. He shone the light into Peter’s pupils as Peter flinched at the harsh light.

 

“Peter…” Steve said next to him, “Tony isn’t awake yet. He’s…he’s in bad shape.”

 

“What kind of ‘bad shape’?” he replied, getting frustrated. Why was getting a complete answer out of anyone here like pulling teeth?

 

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Bruce said, watching Peter closely. “You need to focus on your own healing. Even with you’re healing factor, you’ve been out for a while. It was touch and go for you too for a while.”

 

“H-How long have I been here?” Peter asked hesitantly.

 

“Two weeks,” Bruce replied, still watching Peter.

 

“Peter, are you feeling ok?” Steve asked worriedly, concern etched in his eyes.

 

“Yeah, I just-” Peter started. Black spots were dancing in his vision has thoughts raced in his mind.

_I’ve been here for two weeks. I’ve been asleep for two weeks. So has Tony. What if…what…_

“Peter?” a voice said. He couldn’t tell through the pounding in his ears. His breath hitched in his chest.

 

He sensed shuffling beside him as Bruce moved over to his IV port. He heard muttering on either side of him, the black spots becoming more aggressive.

 

“Come on, son,” Steve said quietly, placing the discarded oxygen mask back over Peter’s face. He felt himself being leaned back as his world dissolved into nothing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked!!! Sorry it's a little shorter than the previous chapter but it made sense to wrap it up where I did. Don't worry, Tony is up next!  
> I needed to amend the Hulk because I love Doctor!Bruce but what happened in Endgame didn't fit my needs! I live for your comments <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm sorry for the delay in posting! School has been crazy and I'm finishing up my semester soon. Hope you enjoy! (And no, Peter whump is not over yet!)

 

_Whe….he…_

_Why…t….hell….ot…._

_I w….se….Tony…._

Why did that noise make him want to climb out of whatever depths he was trapped in? Tony drifted.

 

_________________________

 

Peter’s eyes felt as though they were glued shut. The incredible heaviness that weighed on his limbs kept him from moving for a few moments. Ugh, why was it so hot? He didn’t remember it being this hot before.

 

It took him a while to realize why he had a lingering sense of annoyance and agitation, but the sight of Bruce Banner to the left of his bed evoked the memory his last adventure on the side of consciousness.

 

“You drugged me,” he slurred, not opening his eyes. The oxygen mask had been replaced with a nasal cannula.

 

“I’m sorry, Peter,” Bruce sighed, actually sounding a little bit sorry. Peter heard him move closer to him as one of his eyes was opened, followed by the brightness of Bruce’s penlight.

 

Bruce took a seat next to Peter’s bed and looked at the boy with an expression of, was it sadness? Pity? Compassion?

 

“Peter,” Bruce said slowly. “You have to take time to heal. Even with your metabolism, you still sustained significant injuries that aren’t just going to go away overnight. You’re also not healing as quickly as you usually do and I’m wondering if it has something to do with the possible radiation that was emitted when Tony used the stones. We were all probably exposed, unfortunately. You’re currently running a fever because you’re body’s still trying to fight back. I know that quick-witted head of yours has other ideas, but right now, your body comes first. Tony doesn’t need you like this.”

 

At the sound of his mentor’s name, Peter’s head whipped around to face Bruce directly. “Is Mister Stark ok? Has anything changed? Is he still here?” he rambled, unable to stop himself. Bruce looked resigned, but a small, exasperated smile flashed across his face.

 

“Yes, Tony is still here, Peter,” he replied. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but it’s only been a day since we filled you in before. Steve is with him now.”

 

“I want to see him,” Peter insisted.

“I know, Peter. But right now, we have to focus on getting your fever down. You’re still pretty weak.”

 

Peter turned away and looked at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and put a shaking hand over his face. He was sick of it. Sick of being sick, sick of not being able to see Tony, sick of not being sure if he was going to even live, sick of this room, sick of this mounting feeling of anxiety that had been growing ever since he saw Tony on that battlefield. Peter thought he was feeling the heat of the fever in his face until he felt tears leak out of the corners of his eyes. He would have gotten away with it if his heart monitor didn’t give him away, quickening as he felt is chest constrict slightly. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

 

“He’s going to be ok, Peter. I know this is so frustrating,” Bruce whispered. Peter did not remove his hand from his face, especially when he felt a second wave of tears forming.

 

“Please leave me alone,” Peter said, his voice quavering, “Just please go.”

 

He felt the hand leave his shoulder as Bruce’s voice spoke sadly, “Try and get some rest, Peter. I’ll check on you in the morning.” With that, Peter heard him turn and leave the room.

 

The door had barely closed when Peter let out an audible sob, covering his mouth with his hand. He turned to look at the clock: _8:45pm_.

 

He closed his eyes as he started to form a plan. Tony was only in the room next door. He would wait until any visitors were gone and staff was back at their stations. Then he would go see Tony. He had to. He let himself drift in and out of sleep for a few more hours until he could tell that most of the lights in the hospital were dimmed for the night. He quietly unhooked his heart monitors and gently pulled out his IV, wincing slightly despite his care. He sat up and felt his side and stomach protest. He ignored it and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His feet touched the cold floor as he took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself before standing. He stood but quickly held onto the side of the bed as a wave of dizziness hit him. He continued to take deep breaths as he tentatively put one foot in front of the other. It wasn’t his favorite thing in the world to do at the moment, but it was manageable.

He made it to the other side of the room and quietly opened the door. The hallway was deserted and he looked to his right, seeing what had to be the door to Mr. Stark’s room. He peered in through the window on the door. It didn’t look like there was anyone there, no doctors, no Pepper, and no Steve, at least. He quietly opened the door and slipped inside, wincing as his slightly quicker movements shot through his side. _God, he needed to sit down_.

 

He walked further into the room and saw Tony in his bed. The sight of him nearly made him pass out, which had already been so feasible from the moment he stepped out of bed.

 

“T…Tony?” he breathed, looking at the older man. There was a blanket covering him from the waist down, leaving his torso exposed. His entire left side was covered in bandages, but his face was left uncovered, a breathing tube extending from his mouth.

 

Peter’s eyes traveled up the man’s body. The incredibly still legs, the bandaged lower torso, his…his arm. His arm was gone. Peter swayed on the spot. The bandages grew thicker as they culminated to wrap what was now the remnant of a right arm. Peter guessed that there was only an inch or two left off of the shoulder. Peter felt himself walking towards the bed in a daze as he continued to stare at the man.

 

His _face_.

 

Peter was right next to Tony now. Now that they weren’t surrounded by debris, darkness, and dust, Peter could see what he obviously must have missed at their first reunion. The right side of Tony’s neck and face looked burned, no, _charred,_ giving off an ominous, deadened look. There was as much black as there was red on Tony’s skin, Lichtenberg Figures creeping up his face in black, forked scars. He felt his hand reaching out towards Tony’s face, tears springing in his eyes again. His hand shook as it yearned to touch Tony’s face, to prove he was real. That he was alive. He couldn’t bear to touch his face, his hand instead closing around his mouth again as he tried to stifle a sob at the sight of his mentor.

 

“I’m sorry, Tony. I’m so sorry,” Peter cried. He was beginning to tremble violently as his side gave a particularly painful sear. He went to reach for the arm of a chair that was sitting beside the bed when his vision blurred and he stumbled as his hand missed the armrest. He fell with a cry onto his bad side as his head hit the tiled floor with a resounding _crack_. The last thing he saw was a small pool of blood around his torso as his world faded into nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was lying in the cavern; the flames had extinguished but the ground was still hot under his skin. He blearily opened his eyes, looking up into the orange sky. He could see a small light where the voice seemed to be coming from. He was so tired. So so tired. He wanted to just lie there forever. He was ok with burning now. With simply fading away…
> 
> aka in which Steve gets scared because of Peter's stunt and Bucky comes to Peter's rescue in the most precious way.

_"…eter!"_

_"….ed help in he…."_

____________________________

_He was being carried across a battlefield while smoke billowed around him. He couldn’t quite see who was carrying him, but it was multiple people. He heard the crunch of gravel underneath their feet. He was able to see through the smoke the shattered remains of the Avengers compound. The place where he had a family. A home._

_“I knew you weren’t ready for this suit” a voice said close to him._

_“P..please…this is all I have” he mumbled feebly. Why was it getting so much hotter?_

_“I thought you had me, kid,” the voice sighed, “Well, you don’t anymore. You don’t have anyone. We’re all dead, kid, and it’s all your fault.”_

_“No… no…what do you mean? Where are you taking me?” Peter gasped._

_“I’m not taking you anywhere, you brought yourself here.” Tony’s voice said._

_“Tony…” he whimpered as he heard a deep crackle of flames and the heat increased further, scorching his senses._

_Peter lifted up his head in panic. Natasha and Clint were holding his ankles, while Thor and Bruce supported his back. Steve and Tony held his shoulders and neck. He looked to them all, frantic. “But you’re right here. Stop. Please, stop! I swear, I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Just give me a second chance! You don’t understand. I’m sorry,” he sobbed, choking on the acrid smoke from the fire lit battleground. The sky was a deep orange, as if the sky itself was on fire. He saw Natasha at his feet, her gaze unwavering yet disappointed._

_“How could you, мой маленький паук?” she said, a tear running down her face._

_Peter turned his head to see they had arrived at the edge of a war torn cavern. Where there should have been a cavern floor, white-hot flames were erupting from its depths._

_“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I swear. Nat, Tony, Steve, I didn’t…I didn’t want…” he began to scream._

_“I told you, kid: save you’re breath. We’re not even here,” Tony interrupted, his voice resigned._

_As Peter fully took in the words, he saw the Avengers around him dissolving into ash, as if they were back on Titan._

_“No no no no! Don’t go! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I just wanted to help!” he cried as he felt himself falling, not onto ground, but down into the cavern that grew progressively hotter and hotter as he neared the flames. He felt the flames lick his arms and his legs as his senses went haywire. He screamed as he fell into the flames below. Despite his screams, he heard Tony’s voice as if he were whispering close to his ear._

_“And we wanted you to be better.”_

____________________________

 

He was still screaming when his scenery changed. He heard other voices around him shouting. Peter sat bolt up right on a soft surface.

 

“NO! No, please no! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! _Pleaasee!_ ” he sobbed.

 

“Peter! Peter! Calm down. Relax!” a voice was saying. “Dammit, his fever is nearing 106F. Steve get me the icepacks; we have to get his temperature down fast!”

 

Peter felt a sting of cold on his arms, legs, neck, and torso. He gave another strangled scream as he was pushed back down on a bed. His vision went black for a moment.

 

\-----

 

The next thing Peter knew, he was hunching forward, vomiting stomach acid into a tin as a hand supported the back of his head. His side screamed in pain, but he was too exhausted, physically and mentally, to try and reposition. He slumped back against a pillow, feeling as though he could sink into it. Ignoring the calls to his name, he gave into the darkness around him.

 

\-----

 

“Peter. _Peter._ Open your eyes. Come on, son, please. Wake up,” a voice was calling.

_He was lying in the cavern; the flames had extinguished but the ground was still hot under his skin. He blearily opened his eyes, looking up into the orange sky. He could see a small light where the voice seemed to be coming from. He was so tired. So so tired. He wanted to just lie there forever. He was ok with burning now. With simply fading away…_

\------

 

“Peter. _Peter._ Open your eyes. Come on, son, please. Wake up,” Steve Rogers begged. He couldn’t get the image of Peter lying on the ground at Tony’s bed, covered in blood and scorching with fever. He had only stepped out for 10 minutes, opting to go to the cafeteria with Bucky. They both hadn’t been sleeping well anyway.

 

Suddenly, Peter’s eyes opened. Not frantically as if in a panic and not slowly, as if he were struggling. His eyes opened like a porcelain doll’s: calm and natural. Steve was taken aback at the abrupt response to his request. Peter simply stared up at the ceiling, small tears leaking out, while not necessarily crying. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, but still determinedly looking upwards.

 

“Peter? Can you hear me?” Steve said, hesitantly. He shook Peter slightly, but Peter’s eyes remained fixed and unblinking. Steve went to shake the boy again when Bucky caught his arm.

 

“He’s not here, Steve. He’s still in whatever nightmare he’s having,” Bucky said quietly. “Let me try,” he said, pulling up a chair and leaning close to Peter’s ear. He firmly held Peter’s hand in his own.

 

“Peter, listen to me. You’re not there. This isn’t real. I can’t bring you out of this, only you can. You have to climb out yourself. Use my voice as an anchor. Try to feel my hand. Follow my voice. Just follow that sound.”

\----

_Peter just wanted to close his eyes, to just lie here. The white light in the sky was growing brighter as he heard a voice that seemed to bring feeling into his fingertips._

_“This isn’t real…You have to climb out yourself…Use my voice as an anchor…”_

_He had to admit, he wanted to follow the voice. He felt as though something was touching his hand. He squeezed only air, but felt stronger. Maybe if he just stood up…_

Peter took a huge gasp as he plummeted back into his body. A wave of pain and heat filled his body as he coughed and spluttered into an oxygen mask. He leaned forward and tore it off his face, but breathing only became harder as he continued to gasp for air. _God, why couldn’t he get any air?_ Black spots danced around his vision as he began to hyperventilate, begging his lungs bring in air.

 

Someone placed a steadying hand on his shoulder and another hand flat against his chest. His senses were screaming _danger danger danger_ , but the voice that belonged to the hands stayed quite calm. He turned frantic eyes to face Bucky Barnes, a look of calm concern on his face.

 

“Peter, you’re ok. You can breathe,” he said evenly. “Feel my hand on your chest. Hear the sound of my voice. You are safe. You are ok. You are alive. You can breathe. Match my breaths,” he soothed as he took slow exaggerated breaths, placing Peter’s hand on his chest to feel the movements.

 

“In…out, Peter…In…and out…” Bucky continued. Slowly, Peter felt the crushing band around his chest loosen slightly. He saw two separate hands fix the oxygen mask back over his face and felt cool air rush in. Bucky’s hand left his chest and repositioned it on his back, adding a soothing weight as he continued to try taking breaths.

 

“Peter, when you’re ready, look at me,” Bucky said calmly. It was about two more minutes before Peter could lift his head to look him in the eye, still breathing somewhat irregularly.

 

“Hey there, kiddo,” Bucky smiled. “I want you to tell me five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.”

“Wha-“ Peter breathed, looking at him questioningly, but Bucky remained steadfast. “Come on, bud, five things you can see.”

 

“Umm…” Peter gasped lightly, “I see you…” _breath_ “I see Steve,” he continued, looking up. _Breath…breath…_ “I see my arms…the bed…and the clock on the wall,” he finished, grasping his oxygen mask for support.

 

“Good. Really good,” Bucky said softly, “Now four things you can feel.”

 

Peter’s breathing was still a bit painful, but it was starting to follow a rhythm. “I can feel your hand on my shoulder, umm, the sheets, the mask on my face, and _ow_ pain in my side,” he finished, coughing slightly at the rediscovered pain.

 

“Ok, ok…” Bucky said, leaning Peter back onto his pillows, but so that Peter was still at an incline. “Three things you can hear.”

 

“The air in the mask, your voice, and the monitor,” he supplied, looking at the machines next to his bed.

 

“You’re doing great. Two things you can smell,” Bucky encouraged.

 

“Umm…the plastic mask and…antiseptic?” Peter offered.

 

“Now one thing you can taste,” Bucky said, nearly in a whisper.

 

Peter focused on taking more breathes before he supplied, “Something…metallic.” He saw Bucky look to the side at who he dully registered as Bruce who said, “Post anesthesia.”

 

Peter closed his eyes as he laid his head back, savoring the bigger breathes of air he could take in. He opened them again to find Bucky still looking at him.

 

“Thank you,” Peter said.

 

“No problem,” Bucky replied kindly. He stepped off to the side as Bruce moved in, checking Peter over.

 

“How did you know to do that?” Steve asked, a little surprised. Bucky folded his arms while watching Bruce and Peter.

 

“You don’t get brainwashed by Hydra to kill your best friend and not suffer any consequences. Shuri often did it when I was in Wakanda,” he replied simply.

 

Bruce finished checking Peter and shared a look with Steve, who nodded and walked over to Peter’s bed.

 

“Peter,” he said, “Do you remember what happened?”

 

“Not really, I…” Peter began, but then his eyes became unfocused as he brought a hand to his head, which fell back onto the pillow.

 

“Shit,” he mumbled, not wanting to look up at Steve.

 

“You know Peter, as someone who never liked to swear, I have to agree with you on this one. ‘Shit’ is right.” Steve said.

 

Peter finally dragged his eyes to look at Steve’s.

 

“Steve, I’m so sorry,” he began, and he truly meant it. “You don’t know what it’s like to just sit here and no one can give you any answers or any hope! It’s agony! I had to see him. He still…it felt…like he had died,” Peter finished in a whisper. He looked at Steve imploringly, begging him to understand the remorse in his eyes.

 

“I know Peter. I am sorry. I realize it wasn’t fair to you, but you have to understand we were only trying to keep you safe and give you time to recover before seeing him like that. You have to understand that you can’t just leave, especially without one of us here. You could have died! You ripped your stitches and gave yourself a concussion when you fell, all while having a high enough fever that didn’t need to be raised any higher, as it was already messing with your head. I’m assuming you remember that?” Steve finished, somewhat sharply.

 

“Steve…” Bucky said in a low voice.

 

Peter’s face paled. Of course he remembered it. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to rid the images out of his head. The back of his head gave a dull throb as the images of Tony, Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Clint, and Thor disintegrating flooded his memory.

 

He felt Bucky move closer. “Do you want to talk about it, Peter?” he asked softly, giving Steve a very reproachful look.

 

“You all died,” he said, his voice hollow. He placed his right hand over his left, rubbing his forearm up and down. “You all died and it was my fault. You all said I brought myself here. You were carrying me to a cavern on the battlefield…” His fingernails began to move their way up and down his arm, Peter unconscious of what he was doing. “I said I was sorry, I didn’t mean to do whatever I did, but then Tony just told me to save my breath.” His skin began to itch as he began to scratch a spot on his forearm. “He told me to save my breath because he and you all weren’t even there, and then…” _scratch scratch scratch_ “…you all dissolved, like on Titan. Oh god, I was like I was there again.” _Scratch scratch scratch_. “And because you all disappeared, you dropped me down into the cavern and into the flames below,” he finished, his eyes scrunched up with the thought of it. _Scratch scratch scratch._ He felt a firm yet gentle hand close over the hand picking at his skin, stopping his movements.

 

“Peter. _Peter_. Stop. It’s ok,” Steve said, much gentler, pulling his hand away from his now inflamed arm. “I’m sorry I snapped at you and I’m sorry you had to see what you did.” Steve was reminded of how young Peter was. While time may have passed while Peter was gone, the boy was still a teenager at heart, one who was thrust into battle. Bucky moved closer, pulling up a chair on Peter’s other side.

 

“Peter. Look at me,” Bucky said gently. Peter looked with glistening eyes. “I want you to listen to me very carefully. Whatever you’re trying to blame on yourself, it _wasn’t your fault_. Can you say that?”

Tears filled Peter’s eyes as he shut them, shaking his head slightly.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Steve said.

Peter looked at Bucky and at Steve, both with extremely kind eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Bucky repeated, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Peter looked up at him, tears pooling once more in his eyes.

 

“It wasn’t my fault,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> мой маленький паук= "My little spider" in Russian because I love to think that Nat and Peter had a cute relationship. Btw- Natasha lives in this fic and Clint died. Not sure when/if she'll make an appearance though.  
> Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated! And don't worry! More Tony is coming soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony loves you Peter. You’re the closest thing he has to a son and the closest thing he had to a child of his own until Morgan came along. When you died on Titan…Peter, I’ve never seen Tony so broken.
> 
> The chapter in which Peter learns how much he meant/means to the Stark family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more amendments: Clint dies, not Natasha.  
> Also, it's not like I don't like May, but I didn't think she'd play a good part in the story, but I also didn't want to kill her like some fics do. This is very much a super!family fic.

Peter’s fever raged for the next two days, chills racking his body. On the eve of the second day, Bruce gave an audible sigh of relief as his fever fell from 104° to 102°, then finally to 100°. Even with parenteral nutrients, the fever had left Peter thin and weak after almost four days with little to no appetite. He had enough to keep his spirits up, however. He had a stream of visitors over those few days, including Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Natasha. The latter’s eyes were still slightly red rimmed. They hadn’t talked about Clint. Peter didn’t want to and Nat didn’t seem keen on bringing it up, so they continued in a state of silent acceptance over the truth they both knew. May had of course visited frequently, making the nearly 4-hour commute from Queens to D.C. whenever she could, though it was hard with work. Peter compensated by Face Timing whenever he didn’t have visitors, talking about everything from the events of their days to Peter trying to catch up on the last five years. May had survived the snap and from what she told Peter, he hoped he’d never see a world like the one she described.

“But that wasn’t the worst part,” she told Peter one day. “Do you know what was the darkest part of what Thanos did?”

“A halved population of hummingbirds?” Peter offered, remembering her endeavors to entice them to their apartment with different feeders over the years.

May smiled sadly, “I had to live in a world without Peter Parker.”

 

__________

 

“I think your fever has finally broken, Peter,” Bruce said that afternoon with evident relief. Peter looked over at the doctor, but couldn’t bring himself to be too over the moon. He was still sporting an oxygen cannula, along with dark circles under his eyes and a pale complexion.

 

“Wooo,” he mumbled, lazily twirling a finger in the air, but closing his eyes soon after. Bruce had also told him that Tony had begun to fight his breathing tube, which according to him was a very good sign.

 

“It’s definitely a sign of improvement, Peter. We’re thinking of taking it out tomorrow to see how he does on his own.

 

“Then can I see him?” Peter asked timidly, remembering the disaster of his last escapade.

 

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll try and work something out,” Bruce replied with a smile.

 

To his surprise, Pepper came to visit him that evening as well. She walked in with a warm smile and kissed Peter’s forehead with evident affection. She kept her hand on the back of his head for another moment or two as she settled herself next to his bed.

“Peter,” she said after a long while. “There’s something you should know, someone you should finally meet.”

Peter simply looked at her. “What is it? Who?” he replied cautiously.

 

Pepper got up and went to the door, opening it a crack. She crouched down for a moment before straightening up, holding hands with a small girl with shoulder length brown hair and large dark brown eyes… _Stark eyes._ Peter stared up at Pepper, a wonder-filled smile stretching across his face.

 

“No way,” he said, trying to hide a laugh.

 

Pepper smiled widely, “Peter, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is Peter.”

 

Morgan looked wary as she moved closer to Peter’s bed. She looked up at him with her brown eyes as Peter felt his heart already melting. Morgan gave him a slightly scrutinizing look before she blurted out,

“Are you Spiderman-Peter or a different Peter?”

 

Peter was taken aback at the question and looked up at Pepper, who gently nodded, smiling.

 

“Umm, yeah, I’m Spiderman-Peter,” he responded, somewhat nervously.

Morgan’s face immediately broke out into a grin as she climbed up onto Peter’s bed and immediately snuggled up next to him.

 

“Daddy told me about how he had another kid like me, but he had to go away for awhile and be a superhero somewhere else. He would tell me bedtime stories about Spiderman. They were my favorite! And Daddy said you were his kid so that means you’re my brother!” she exclaimed, closing her eyes into Peter’s chest.

 

Peter sat agape, his eyes filling up with tears as he extricated his arm from under Morgan to wrap around her small body, holding her close. He sniffed and Morgan looked up.

 

“Y…yeah. I guess I am,” he said with a watery smile. He hurriedly tried to wipe the stray tears from his face. “Sorry,” he acknowledged. Morgan was unfazed.

 

“That’s ok. Daddy cried too sometimes, especially when he’d look at the picture of you and him. I think he missed you a lot.” She sat on her knees and placed a tiny hand on Peter’s face, wiping a tear away. “Would juice pops make you feel happier? They make Daddy happy. And they make me happy,” she finished with a grin.

 

“I’m sure they would, Morgan, but not tonight. You’ve already made me so happy! Maybe another time?” Peter asked.

“Ok! But I still want a juice pop,” Morgan said sweetly, looking at Pepper.

 

“Why don’t you go outside and ask Happy if he can get you something. Something _small_ though, Miss Momo. It’s almost your bedtime. I’m going to talk to Peter for a little bit,” Pepper said.

Can I give Peter our special goodnight kisses me, you and Daddy do?” she asked imploringly.

“Only if Peter wants you to,” she replied with a smile.

 

“Oh, Peter, can I?” she implored.

“Of course you can,” Peter replied, melting under her heart-eye gaze. Morgan beamed and sat facing Peter.

 

“Sling your webs into my heart.”

She bent down and kissed the tops of his hands.

 

“Help me learn to grow real smart.”

She kissed his forehead.

 

“May angels kiss you from above.”

She kissed both of his cheeks.

 

She kissed his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

“As we wrap you in our love.”

“Goodnight sweetheart, goodnight, dear”

 

She placed her hands on either side of Peter’s face.

“You will not know a life of fear”

 

She traced her hand through the air, looking up at the ceiling.

“For you, our heroes come to fight”

 

“So you can sleep soundly here tonight”

She placed a final gentle kiss on Peter’s nose.

 

She finished and promptly hopped off the bed. “See you later, Peter!” she said, skipping to the door and closing the door behind her.

 

Peter gaped at where the door had closed, trying to comprehend all that had just happened. He felt Pepper take the seat beside him and place a hand on his arm. He turned to her.

 

“He never forgot you, Peter. _Never_ ,” she said quietly.

 

“He said I was his kid?” Peter asked weakly.

 

“Of course he did. Tony loves you Peter. You’re the closest thing he has to a son and the closest thing he had to a child of his own until Morgan came along. When you died on Titan…Peter, I’ve never seen Tony so broken. One of the very first things he said to all of us when he came home on a ship that almost didn’t make it home was that he lost you. He came back from space weak and starving, almost barely alive, but the thought on the forefront of his mind was that you were gone,” Pepper explained, but when Peter continued to frown, she continued.

 

“Peter,” Pepper said with a sigh. “Tony spent five years trying to forget what happened. He buried those memories deep within him. He still tinkered with his toys, yes, but that mischievous, determined spark was fading. I knew he wanted to move on, but I also knew that you were on his mind every single day. I thought he would never find the will to return to the Avengers, until he almost broke a picture frame with a picture of the two of you and had to pull it out. Peter, he was ready to turn the Avengers away when they had an idea to reverse what Thanos did. He _did_ turn them away. Until you inspired him to try. If you put it in perspective, out of the fourteen million timelines that Doctor Strange saw, you dying, Tony living, Tony finding the picture, and having immeasurable and overwhelming love for you were some of the keys to saving the universe. Everything he did, he did for you.”

 

Peter realized he was crying again as he went to wipe his eyes.

 

“But…but…I was just a kid from Queens,” Peter mumbled, knowing that he’d have to believe what Pepper was saying eventually. “What did I ever do? “Why would he do all of that for me?””

“I think he saw a lot of himself in you. You were a bright, enthusiastic, gifted boy with a…complicated past. I think when he met you, he realized he didn’t want you to turn into him,” Pepper said.

 

“I’d be lucky to be half the man he is,” Peter said quietly.

 

“When he said he wanted you to be better…yes I know about that…when he said he wanted you to be better than he was, he already knew you were. I think he took a lot of pride in knowing he could have had the smallest part in you becoming who you are today.”

 

They were both silent for a few moments when Peter spoke up, “About Morgan’s rhyme…that first line- about shooting webs into your heart.”

 

“Tony wanted Morgan to know you,” Pepper replied simply. “I don’t think she ever loved a bed time story more than those of Spiderman’s adventures. I know Tony will want you to be a part of her life,” she added softly, “She loved you before she even met you because Tony loved you.”

 

With that thought, Pepper stood up, placed a hand on the back of Peter’s head, and kissed his hair, turning to go meet her daughter.

 

“Pepper?” Peter called. She turned.

 

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Hope you liked! This chapter was less angsty and so much more fluffy than previous chapters! I nearly cried while writing Morgan's lullaby/rhyme. I just imagined Tony coming up with it because he is the best dad ever. I love their relationship 3000 <3 Let me know what you thought in the comments! I PROMISE more Tony is coming next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How is Peter doing as he tries to come to grips with living in this new world? Not as good as he thought...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the little delay. I had a grad school final last week that was literally ruling my life and my sanity...BUT now that's over so I have a little more time! I still have one more final this week but after that, you have my full attention! Enjoy!

Peter awoke the next morning to the sound of commotion outside of his room. His head still ached, probably from the concussion he sustained from falling in Tony’s room, so he allowed himself to close his eyes for a few moments.

 

He must have dozed because he woke up to the sound of his name and to a clock that read two hours later.

 

“Peter?”

 

“Hmm,” he mumbled.

 

“Peter wake up, I have a surprise for you,” said Bruce’s voice close to his ear.

 

At those words, he pried his eyes open to see a curtain to his left and Bruce’s face smiling up at him.

 

“There’s someone here to see you. Well, sort of. There someone here for you to see,” he corrected. He walked a few paces to the curtain and pulled it back gently to reveal none other than Tony Stark. He was still heavily bandaged and sickly, but he had an oxygen mask on instead of a breathing tube. Peter looked up at Bruce in amazement.

 

“Told you I’d try and work something out,” Bruce said smiling. “We tried him off the ventilator this morning since he’s been fighting it. I think you were still asleep.”

 

“I think I heard you guys briefly,” Peter said, remembering the commotion. “Is he alright?”

 

“He’s getting better. Taking out a breathing tube can be an ordeal for the healthiest of patients, so that’s probably what you heard,” Bruce explained, “I talked to the other doctors as well as some of the other Avengers and we decided it would save us some gray hairs if we had both of you in the same room. Plus, I know it wasn’t helping your recovery at all to be kept in the dark about Tony, seeing as neither of you can go anywhere for a little bit.”

 

“Can I sit with him sometimes?” Peter asked, noticing the still sizable space between their two beds.

 

“Give it a day or two. You’re still recovering and I don’t want you out and about yet, especially by yourself.

 

Peter half sighed, having expected to be denied, but half groaned out of continued frustration. Bruce smiled, “Let’s see how you are tomorrow, but I’m not budging.”

 

Pepper and Morgan came to visit again that afternoon. Morgan wore a morose expression upon seeing Tony still unconscious, but upon seeing Peter in the same room, she sprinted over to him and wrapped him in a tiny-armed hug, snuggling up next to him. “You and daddy are in the same room! Are you gonna have sleepovers? Can I come too?” she finished, looking up at Pepper.

“Sort of, but I stay up later than you do, so I think that would go past your bed time!” Peter said, grinning. “Maybe when we get out of here we can have a sleepover at your house!”

 

Morgan pouted her lip and suddenly became somber. “I just miss you and daddy…” she trailed, turning her large eyes up at Peter, who saw they were glistening with tears. Peter’s heart broke as he related to her longing. He placed a hand on the side of her head and pushed it down so it rested on his chest, stroking her hair. “I know. I miss him too. I miss talking to him,” he sighed.

 

“You could always just talk to him, Petey. Like mommy and I do,” she said, as if he should have known something so obvious.

 

“You talk to him?” Peter asked, surprised.

 

“Of course. Every night mommy and I go sit outside and name the stars and ask them to bring daddy home. We’ve asked so many. We’ve asked Sirius, Canopus, Vega, Altair, Pollux, Arcturus, Aldebaran, and Betelgeuse. Mommy says he’s wandering around with them until his body gets better, but I don’t know if he knows how to get back, so mommy and I talk to daddy and tell him it’s ok to come home and that we’re waiting for him. Mommy says I’m being so patient,” she sighed. “Maybe he needs you to talk to him! It’s only mommy and me; maybe he needs to hear you too. Maybe he needs more motivation,” she said, thoughtfully.

 

“I think you’re doing a fantastic job already,” Peter smiled. “I think your dad wants to be in tip top shape for when he comes back to see you, that’s all. He wants to be perfect for you.”

 

“He’s already perfect,” she stated quietly, “Will you still try talking to him though?”

 

“Of course I will. There’s so much I want to talk to him about already! Like what an amazing little girl he has to keep me company,” Peter said, ruffling her hair.

 

Morgan beamed up at him as she snuggled her face into his chest once more. At that moment, Pepper came walking over from where she had been sitting near Tony’s bed, “Ready, little miss?” she asked.

“I want to say bye to daddy. Maybe he can hear me better if I’m close,” she said, scooting her way off Peter’s bed and hopping over to Tony and climbing up onto Pepper’s vacated chair.

“Goodnight, daddy,” she said in a carrying whisper, “I hope you find us soon. Peter is going to help you come home too! He promised. I hope you come home soon because I miss you tons. I miss you 3000,” she finished, kissing Tony’s forehead. Then her face turned stern, “Wake up soon, or I’ll sell all your toys!” she bossed, pointing a finger at Tony. She hopped off his bed and went back over to Peter. “Goodnight, Petey,” she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. She paused near his ear, whispering, “Don’t forget our mission!”

Peter gave her a convincing, covert thumbs up while pretending to look around the room.

 

“Mission received, Agent Morgan,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek as well.

____________________

Peter slept badly that night. He dreamt that Tony was walking in a field of stars, shining in their own right, but not providing Tony enough light to see where he was going. Tony begged them to help him find a way home, calling for Pepper, Morgan, and finally, Peter. Peter stood directly in front of him, trying to call out.

“Mister Stark, I’m right here! Look at me! Just come home! Please, please, just come home,” Peter begged, only for Tony to stumble past him, continuing to call his name.

 

He woke with a start to a dark hospital room, the only lights coming from the small lights over each of their beds and the blinking lights from the machines around them. Peter could just see Tony’s face illuminated by the small light. His heart was pounding from his dream and he knew falling back to sleep wasn’t in the immediate future. He turned back to Tony.

 

“M...Mister Stark?” He called from the other side of the room. “It’s…it’s me, Peter. We’re all wondering when you’re going to wake up.” Before Peter knew it, he was talking about everything and nothing in particular. He talked about Morgan and how special she was, about how Pepper had told Peter that Tony loved him as a son, how scary the battle was, about how Captain Marvel had found him with the gauntlet, “…and then all the female avengers came and stood in front of me and I don’t know Mister Stark, I never considered officially identifying myself a feminist, but geez, that was totally badass.” Peter must have talked for at least an hour until he felt his eyes becoming heavy again.

“I’m going to try and sleep now, Mister Stark. I’ll try and find you while I’m asleep,” he yawned. “Morgan and I….we kept a… _yawn_ …promise…had a... _yawn_ …mission…”.

 

_____________________

 

The next morning, Bruce told Peter that they’d be starting some physical therapy to help Peter’s muscles recover from weeks of disuse.

“You didn’t hurt anything, but with your metabolism, your muscles have atrophied more than expected, so we want to monitor your progress until you’re stable on your feet again,” Bruce explained

“We?” Peter asked, “Are you not doing the physical therapy?”

“No, actually,” said Bruce with a small smile, “Turns out there were many…applicants for the job.”

At that moment, the door burst open and in walked Steve, Bucky, and Sam, all grinning ear to ear, Steve looking somewhat exasperated.

“What’s up, Spider-Bro!” Bucky exclaimed, practically bouncing over to Peter and ruffling his hair.

“Oh man, this is going to be so much fun,” Sam said with a mischievous grin.

Peter looked nervously at Bruce and Steve and Steve replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t let them kill you. _Isn’t that right_ ,” Steve said firmly to his two friends.

“Oh we wouldn’t dream of it! Morgan could do Sam’s regimen, it’s so easy,” Bucky grinned.

Peter turned back to Bruce, “Dr. Banner, do you think that if I do well enough today, I could sit with Mister Stark later?”

Bruce considered him for a moment and then smiled, “Sure, Peter, I don’t see why not, but only for a little bit. You’ll probably want to rest anyway after you’re done. It may take a lot out of you.”

Peter’s spirits lifted as he was helped into a wheelchair and escorted to a different room for the physical therapy. He soon realized that Bruce was right. His legs shook by the second step he took. Sam and Bucky turned out to not be as playfully sadistic as they hinted they would, but along with Steve, guided him with patience and encouragement.

 

“Come on bud,” encouraged Bucky after about 45 minutes, standing at the end of the beam lined with handrails. “Just a few more steps and then you can be done for the day.”

Sam and Steve were on either side of him, keeping a close eye on the boy, who had begun to pant slightly. Peter had fallen a few times, but never hit the ground, thanks to the watchful eyes of the three men. Peter was grateful that they hadn’t made a big fuss about it, but helped him get back up and try again. Sam was especially supportive, having had experience with ex-military men and women.

“Come on kid, find what you’re fighting for,” Sam encouraged. “What’s going to make you get from here to there,” he said, pointing to the end, where Bucky stood. Peter faltered for a moment. What was he fighting for? The thoughts that had been secretly plaguing him for the last few weeks came swirling around in his head.

_What kind of world do I even live in anymore?_

_Who am I in this new world?_

_How do I live in a world where five years have disappeared for me?_

_How do I live in a world where half of the population doesn’t remember and the other half is changed from what they experienced?_

While he kept these thoughts silent, his body responded by his knee giving way, sending him falling to the ground. The three men, caught off guard, were not able to catch Peter in time. Peter’s knee gave a loud _thud_ as he caught the rest of his weight with his hands, his head falling down and his face going red. All of a sudden, he felt his breathing hitch in his throat as he struggled to get up again.

“Here, son, just take it easy,” Steve said, gripping Peter’s upper arm, helping him up. “Do you want to try and finish or do you want to stop?” Steve asked in concern.

Peter embarrassingly wiped a tear from his eye, “No. I want to finish,” he said, his face set. He took a few deep breaths and slowly made his way towards Bucky at the end, his knee smarting painfully. Bucky was there to catch him has his legs nearly gave way at the end. He embraced Peter in a half-hug, guiding him over to his wheelchair. Peter slumped into it, exhausted, placing a hand over his sweaty face.

“Peter, you did such a great job,” Sam said, proudly, Steve agreeing at his side.

Bucky came up beside him and lowered his voice, “You ok, bud?” he asked, concerned. “You seemed to zone out on us earlier there before you fell. You feeling ok?”

“Y..yeah, I’m fine. It just…it just took more out of me than I realized it would,” Peter half lied. The therapy had exhausted him, but his thoughts towards the future had taken an unexpected, intrusive blow. He just wanted to sleep, to lie down at least. They approached his room and Bruce looked up, a sad smile gracing his face when he saw Peter.

“What did you guys do to him?” he said, jokingly, but approaching Peter with concern all the same. He helped him back into his bed and placed an oxygen cannula back under his nose. “It’s only for a little bit, Peter,” he said, after the boy gave him an exasperated look. “You’ll thank me later,” he added, now placing an IV line in his hand.

Peter laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes. “I still w’nna see Miss’r Stark,” he mumbled.

“I know, Peter,” Bruce said, subtly turning off the overhead light. “Why don’t you take a nap for a little bit and then you can go sit with him. I promise.”

 

Peter sighed, but nodded, holding up a finger, “N’t g’nna forg’t,” he said sleepily. He heard Bruce chuckle as he quietly closed the door.

 

Peter woke up what must have been several hours later, for the sun was low in the sky, the clock reading 7:30 PM. He looked over at Tony and made up his mind. He felt a lot better, but his legs felt like they had run a marathon. He swung his legs carefully over the bed and tested his feet on the ground. He held his IV pole as he took careful steps towards Tony’s bed. He was able to make it over to the chair by Tony’s bed, collapsing into it, his legs shaking. Peter was glad that the side he had sat down at was Tony’s uninjured side. He stared into the man’s face for a long while, trying to take it in, now that it was so close. He still looked so frail…

 

“Hey Mister Stark,” he said quietly. “I really wish you would wake up soon.”

He felt a tear escape his eye as he took Tony’s hand in his own. “I just want you to know that I’m here, Pepper is here and Morgan is here. We are all waiting for you to wake up. We need you back with us, please, sir,” Peter said, his voice breaking with the last sentence. He sighed, quiet tears leaking down his face. He rested his head on an empty space on Tony’s bed, closing his eyes, but still keeping a firm hold on Tony’s hand.

 

“I miss you,” Peter breathed. He felt himself growing more and more tired. As his mind carried him off to sleep, he felt the hand in his give a small squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAH! I'm sorry! I could have sworn I was going to have Tony wake up in this chapter, but it got away from me. What will happen next chapter? What's up with Tony?! Is Peter going to deal with his hidden worries? Is Morgan Stark ever going to stop being so adorable? SO many questions! Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you've all been waiting for! In which Tony wakes up, Peter is battling yet even more inner turmoil, and Steve is a good bro.

“Peter, come on,” a voice said quietly, hands on his shoulders. Peter stirred slightly, trying to take stock on where he was. His neck was still bent to the side, his face resting against the side of Tony’s bed. Peter’s hand was still loosely held in Tony’s and upon wakening, he tightened his grip once more. He looked up with tousled hair into the face of Bruce Banner.

“You fell asleep. Come on, let’s get you back in bed,” he said, attempting to lift Peter out of the chair.

Though he was still fighting off the last remnants of sleep, Peter suddenly remembered, “Dr. Banner, no. M’sser Stark…he…he squeezed my hand!”

Bruce’s expression changed from kind concern to shocked excitement. “Are you sure, Peter? When?” Bruce asked excitedly, taking out his penlight and beginning to check Tony’s pupils.

“What time is it?” Peter asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Just around 10:15pm” Bruce replied.

“About 2-3 hours ago,” Peter said, fully awake now.

Bruce turned to Tony, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Tony. _Tony._ Can you hear me?” Bruce said, imploringly, squeezing his shoulder. Peter moved closer.

“Let me try,” he said quietly, taking Tony’s hand.

 

_____________________

Tony was drifting. He’d been drifting for a while now, like a swimmer at the bottom of the ocean. Things had been murky and dark in the beginning, only hearing muffled sounds and sensing movements as if they were miles away, from another life. The water began to clear. He began to see more light, the voices becoming slightly more pronounced. Still, he drifted. One moment he seemed to be looking straight up at the sky, still underwater.

 

“I just want you to know that I’m here.”

_I know that voice._

“Pepper is here.”

_Oh god, Pep. Where is she?_

“Morgan is here.”

_The mention of his daughter’s name made him want to jump out of the water that was holding him down. He was so heavy though. So, so heavy._

“We are all waiting for you to wake up. We need you back with us, please, sir.”

_I know that voice. I need that voice. Where is it? Where am I? I need to get to him._

_Peter._

 

“I’m here.”

 

_I’m here too! I can’t reach you. I’m so close. I can’t, I just… I need…_

Under the water he felt a presence in his hand, as if a hand was in his own. His head broke the surface of the murky depths in which he was trapped, his head bobbing on the surface long enough to wrap his hand around Peter’s and give the faintest squeeze. The water pulled him back under as he drifted once more.

.

.

.

“Tony. _Tony._ Can you hear me?” a voice said, urgently. _Yes, I can hear you_ , his mind responded lazily.

 

“Let me try,” another voice said, which spurred Tony’s awareness. _Peter._

 

“Mister Stark, I know you’re in there. Please, just open your eyes. We need you here. We need to know you’re ok. We need you. _I_ need you.”

 

Tony felt the hand in his own tremble slightly as he began to break the surface of the water once more. The air seemed clearer and colder now. It was incredible to feel that he had a body, not a celestial entity that floated in the depths of a heavenly ocean. This world was hard, solid, and unyielding, yet stable, reassuring, and grounding. He felt more fully the hand that was in his own as his sense of touch returned. His sense of hearing was the next to tune in, as if by a radio dial.

 

“Keep talking,” a voice said reassuringly.

 

“Mister Stark, remember that time that I failed that history test? I still passed the class but when I say I bombed that test…whew…like I _bombed_ it. So, I came to the tower that Friday because it was our Friday to do lab stuff and you were all ready for me but then I insisted on being pouty about how I failed my test, but I didn’t tell you why I was upset because I didn’t want to admit that I failed a test that you had helped me study for? So, I just acted moody for an hour and then you told me to stay put in the lab while you went to go find a part that you needed in another room. Then you came back a little while later and said that you needed help with the piece that you found and me, being oblivious, thought nothing of it because I was too busy being a moody-ass teenager. You brought me into the kitchen and the living room only for me to find that you had ordered like ten pizzas and made a freaking blanket fort in the living room around the TV and then you said…’Kid, I don’t know what’s up and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but you’re not leaving this tower until you feel better and I can’t eat all this pizza by myself, so will it be Star Wars or Galaxy Quest?’ I was so shocked that I ended up telling you what happened and then I’ll never forget what you said to me.”

 

The hand, that Tony now concluded to be Peter’s squeezed a little harder as Peter continued, “You said to me, ‘Kid, I don’t care if you fail every test that school throws at you. Just by being you, Peter Parker, you will never fail me. You could never fail me. The world needs that bright, nerdy, and totally unique light you bring to this world, not a grade you got a stupid test. You succeed in my eyes every day you simply continue to be you.’

And then, you said one final thing, ‘F.R.I.D.A.Y., delete that last diatribe. I don’t want that sickening fluff that just issued from my mouth on record.”

 

Peter’s voice cracked with a half laugh, half sob as he finished recalling the memory.

 _It’s ok, kid, I’m right here. I meant what I said…_ He willed his hand to squeeze Peter’s, with no result, for the boy continued.

.

.

.

(Peter’s POV)

 

“Mister, Stark, the world doesn’t need a self sacrificial, larger than life icon. I don’t even think it needs Iron Man anymore. Who it needs is _Tony_. The guy who makes the world a better place just by being himself, who will cancel plans to make a teenage boy feel better, who will sing a little girl to sleep when she has a bad dream, who will keep the gluten free waffle industry alive and well- god, Mr. Stark, those things are like cardboard- most importantly, the guy who takes in the lost, the broken, the _heroic,_ but the different and gives them a family, who gave _me_ a family, just a scrawny nerd from Queens. Your family needs you, Mister Stark. _I_ need- _Mr. Stark?!”_ Peter gasped, for finally, _finally_ the man had given a tangible squeeze of his hand.

The man’s breath had begun to quicken under his oxygen mask as Peter stood up, holding onto the bed rail to steady himself.

With a larger inhale, Tony’s eyelids lifted slowly, revealing eyes that had a slightly distant, glassy look.

“Mr. Stark? Can you hear me?” Peter said, concerned, letting his hand fall out of Tony’s to rest on his shoulder. The movement was not unnoticed, as Tony’s hand weakly reached for Peter’s again as he closed his eyes.

“Ok, ok, it’s alright, I’m right here,” Peter said frantically.

“Kid…don’t…let me…go under…again,” Tony breathed, looking up imploringly at Peter. Peter looked up at Bruce who gave a sad shrug, indicating that it wasn’t likely that Tony would be able to stay awake for long.

“Wha- What happn’d,” Tony sighed.

Bruce shook his head at Peter as if to say, _not yet_ , and Peter continued, thinking on the spot.

“You fell asleep during our Star Wars marathon! Go back to sleep and we can finish it tomorrow,” Peter said, somewhat uncertainly.

“…kay,” Tony breathed as his eyes closed.

 

“I think he’s back to sleep,” Bruce said as Peter collapsed into the chair beside his bed and let out something between a groan and a sob. “Peter this is great. I wouldn’t have expected him to wake up and stay away for too long for the first time. It’s going to take a few of these for him to fully come back. You did incredible,” Bruce reassured fondly.

“He didn’t remember what happened,” Peter said worriedly.

“He will, just in the moment it can be a bit confusing when you suddenly wake up some place different. I don’t expect there to be any memory problems.”

“I don’t think he noticed his arm yet…” Peter said sadly. “What are we going to tell him?”

“We’ll take it one day at a time. You know Tony. You know he won’t let this stop him. It’ll be an adjustment, though,” Bruce replied.

 

_______________

 

Tony woke up gradually over the next two days, flitting in and out between different levels of consciousness and never staying awake for more than a few minutes. He still hadn’t been cognizant enough to notice his missing right arm. Pepper was about to broach the subject when she was sitting with him when he fell back asleep without warning.

Peter had been hard pressed to ever leave Tony’s side, wanting to be there on any rare occasion Tony didn’t have any visitors.

 

On the morning of the third day after Tony’s first awakening, Peter was sitting by his bed while eating a bowl of cereal. His stomach still wasn’t ready for full meals, still eliciting nausea with certain foods, but Peter knew Lucky Charms would never betray him like that, so he figured this was a safe bet. May had sent him the box the previous day and to Peter’s surprise, saw that they were a limited edition Avenger’s version of the cereal. Peter had taken great enjoyment in picking out one of each of the Avengers and presenting it to their human versions, as if it was a badge of honor. He continued the steady stream of drabble to Tony as he passed the time as well.

“You can put one of these in every room of your house, Mister Stark,” he said, lining up about fifteen Spiderman marshmallows on the bedside table. “That way Spiderman will always be with you!”

Peter got up and placed the bowel on the counter, still dragging along his IV pole for stability. He sat back down and took Tony’s hand, tracing circles on his hand. “I don’t know why you’re not waking up, Mister Stark. I don’t know if you’re afraid, or if you don’t know what you’re going to wake up to, but we’re all waiting here to help you, Tony. I just wish I could talk to y--” Peter trailed, as his Spider sense went slightly haywire. It wasn’t a threatening alarm, but suddenly, Peter understood the warning as Tony’s fingers flexed in Peter’s hand at the same time the door opened and Steve Rogers walked in. Peter looked up and frantically beckoned Steve to come closer, gesturing at Tony. The man was stirring significantly now, but pulled his hand out of Peters and reached over to touch the place where his right arm had been. His eyes remained closed but his breath hitched as his heart monitor quickened significantly. Steve moved closer, taking Tony’s hand so that he could not feel his missing limb.

“Tony,” Steve said quietly. “Tony, open your eyes.”

Tony’s eyes remained closed, but his eyebrows furrowed in…was it pain? Sadness?

“Mister Stark?” Peter asked tentatively.

Tony twitched slightly in the direction of Peter’s voice as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Kid,” Tony whispered, his eyes locking on Peter.

Peter let out a sigh of relief that he felt like he had been holding for weeks.

“Hey man,” Peter breathed, remembering that time at the airport.

Tony’s head turned away from Peter to look at his right side as he laid eyes on his bandaged shoulder. Steve stepped forward,

“Tony,” he said gently. “It’s going to be ok.”

Tony’s head leveled back on the pillow as he closed his eyes again, taking deep breaths under the oxygen mask.

“I know. I just…” Tony stumbled. He brought his hand up to his face as he sighed, “Oh god, everything… what happened.”

“What do you remember?” Steve asked.

“Everything until Pepper took me for a joy ride in the air,” Tony said, pulling off his oxygen mask. “Where am I? How long has it been?”

“S.H.E.I.L.D. medical base in Washington D.C. We’ve been here for a little less than a month. We brought you and Peter here from the battle. It’s been touch and go for a long time…” Steve responded.

“Peter,” Tony said blearily, taking his hand and placing it on the boy’s face, surveying Peter in his hospital gown and IV line. “Oh kid, Pete. You’re here. What’s wrong, are you hurt? What happened to you? Are you ok?”

“I’m ok, Mister Stark, I promise,” Peter said with a small laugh, placing his hand over Tony’s.

“I heard you,” Tony said to Peter. “I heard you the whole time. God, Pete, I wanted to let you know I was there but I couldn’t. I tried so hard.”

“Tony, I know, it’s ok,” Peter said gently.

“It’s been so long, kid,” Tony said, his eyes full of emotion. “So long.”

“Y…yeah, I guess it has,” Peter said, his smile faltering somewhat, not going unnoticed by Tony.

“Kid? What is it, what’s wrong?” Tony asked, concerned.

“Nothing!” Peter responded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.

“Peter,” Tony said, his eyes skeptical, “Tell me the truth. What’s eating at you?”

“I was just worried about you,” Peter lied a little easier. “It’s been a long couple of weeks.”

Tony still looked at him suspiciously, but Peter was saved further questioning by the door opening and Morgan bursting through the door.

“Daddy!” she squealed, running up to his bed as Pepper walked into the room.

“There’s my little Miss Maguna!” Tony said, his face breaking out into a wide smile.

“Oh, Tony,” Pepper said quietly, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead, her eyes closed with tears.

“Hey, Pep,” he said with equal emotion, lifting is head to kiss her on the lips.

“Daddy! I finally met my brother!” Morgan cried, looking fondly at Peter.

“You did?! See? I told you you’d meet him one day,” he replied, giving Peter a quick wink. He leaned closer to Morgan, placing his forehead on hers. He spoke quietly, as if discussing a secret between them, “What do you say, did I do a good job describing him? Did I hit the mark?” Morgan nodded. “I knew you’d like him,” Tony said fondly, holding Morgan close and smiling up at Peter. All of a sudden, Peter wished he didn’t share a room with Tony. He suddenly wanted to be alone.

“I’m going to go take a walk. I’ll give you guys some time alone,” Peter said, feigning a smile easily. Steve moved forward as well.

“We can go walk down to the common area and find the others, Pete,” Steve said, giving Peter a significant look. “You shouldn’t be walking around by yourself yet anyway. I’ll bring this along just in case,” he said, pulling up Peter’s wheelchair. They left the room, Steve closing the door as Peter rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes.

“Peter? What is it? I know something was up back there,” Steve said, concerned.

“It’s nothing…It’s just…things are going to be so different now,” Peter said, worriedly. “You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t snapped.”

Steve raised his eyebrows, a somewhat amused and exasperated, yet kind expression on his face, “ _I_ don’t understand? I don’t understand what it’s like to feel as though you were about to die, only to wake up multiple years later and realize the world you knew has changed drastically? Son, do you have any idea who you’re talking to? I’m like the poster boy for what you’re feeling.”

Peter gaped at him, “I’m… I’m sorry. I completely forgot.”

Steve shrugged, “It’s ok. Do you want to talk about it?”

Peter looked into Steve’s earnest face, trying to decide what exactly he wanted. “No, not right now. It’s been a big day. Maybe another time,” Peter said with a small smile.

Steve surveyed him for a moment before responding, “Ok, Peter, I’ll respect your wishes, but just know that you have people here who are in the same boat as you and are more than happy to talk to you. You know you have me, Bucky’s now been through this sort of thing twice, Sam’s been through it too and he’s helped me sort through some really deep emotions in the past. Talk to Tony; I know moving forward with him is part of what’s weighing on you.”

“N-no! I don’t need to talk to Mister Stark. He has enough to worry about without worrying about me too! He needs to focus on getting better, not me,” Peter blurted out.

“Son, Tony may hide behind a mask most of the time, figuratively and literally, but I know that from the moment he stepped back on Earth, the impact of your ‘death’ crashed down around him. I truly believe that right now, no matter what you see in there,” Steve gestured towards the door they had recently closed, “Tony is as scared as you are on how to move forward. I know you both want things to be the way they were before, but sometimes you just have to readjust and find a new normal, and I know it’s going to be easiest if you do it together.”

Peter looked up into Steve’s face with a heavy expression. Steve placed his hand on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. “It’s going to be ok, Peter,” Steve said softly as Peter smiled sadly. “Come on, have a seat, let’s go find the others and let them know Tony’s awake,” Steve said, patting the top of the wheelchair. “Bruce will kill me if he finds out that Tony woke up and I didn’t alert him immediately _and_ that I let you walk aimlessly around the facility. Peter chuckled as he allowed himself to be helped into the chair, wondering how it came to be to have acquired such a family as the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience! I finished my semester and I may or may not have included the memory due to my own horrible experience with finals! haha. I wish I had a Tony to build me a blanket fort, but ahh well. This chapter was harder to write for some reason; I wasn't sure quite how to end it, but I'm happy with it overall. I hope it's not too confusing with the perspective changes! Let me know what you think in the comments!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You’re not alone, Peter. You have never been and will never be alone. There are people who genuinely, unceasingly, and irrevocably love you and I’m sorry you have ever thought anything other than that. We are going to build that new normal and I will be by your side through every step of it. I wouldn’t dream of anything else."

Peter and Steve had found Natasha, Bruce, Sam, Bucky, Scott, Thor, and Rhodey in a common area at the end of the floor where Tony’s room was located. Bucky, Sam, and Nat were playing cards while Scott was trying to impress a thoroughly unconvinced Thor with his slight of hand. Bruce was pouring over some science papers that Shuri had sent him from Wakanda, while Rhodey dozed in the chair next to him. At the sight of Steve and Peter, they all looked up and Rhodey jerked awake at the shift in the room.

“He’s awake, I think for good this time. He’s a lot more cognizant,” Steve told the crowd, mainly addressing Bruce, who got up quickly.

“I’ll go check him over,” he said reassuringly, walking briskly past Steve and down the hallway.

Steve wheeled Peter closer to the couches as Bucky ruffled his hair.

“How ya holding up, bud?” Bucky asked with a concerned smile. Peter smiled back, but shrugged, which was the best he could give them at the moment. Nat moved down the couch so that there was a larger space next to her.

“Come here, мой маленький паук,” she beckoned kindly. Peter got up and sat next to her, quickly allowing her to move his head down into her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was extremely comfortable and Peter felt some of the tension that had been building up during the last few hours melt away. They had all agreed to wait until Pepper and Morgan were done visiting with Tony before going in to see him, but an hour later, Pepper emerged with a sleeping Morgan in her arms, telling them that Tony had fallen asleep too.

“We should probably get you back into bed too, Peter,” Steve said. Peter, who had been dozing on Natasha’s lap, gave a lazy sound of acknowledgement, but didn’t make any signs of getting up.

“Come on, Pete,” Sam said, coming over and lifting Peter off Nat’s legs and into a sitting position. Bucky took over and picked him up, placing him gently back in his wheelchair. Bucky, Nat, and Steve pushed Peter back down to his room, talking in whispers until they reached the door. The lights were dimmed as they saw Tony sleeping peacefully in his bed.

“How is he, Bruce?” Steve asked.

“He’s going to be fine. He’ll need some physical and occupational therapy to build his strength up and to learn how to perform tasks with only one hand until he builds himself a prosthetic, which you _know_ Tony’s going to do, most likely before he should be handling power tools,” Bruce finished with an exasperated sigh.

They helped Peter back into bed, but Peter looked as though he were struggling with something he wanted to say.

“What’s up, Peter?” Steve asked. Peter directed his attention to Bruce.

“Dr. Banner, umm, do you think it would be possible to maybe move our beds next to each other?” Peter asked, somewhat embarrassedly.

Bruce smiled kindly, however, and said, “Of course, I don’t see why not.” With the help of the other three avengers, they wheeled Peter’s bed so he was side by side with Tony. Natasha bent down and kissed the top of his head, “Sweet dreams, маленький паук,” she said. The other three gave their gestures of farewell, Sam playfully flicking him in the head, Bucky messing up his hair, and Steve placing a hand on his shoulder. After Bruce checked to see if Peter needed anything before they left, they all left the room, leaving Peter alone next to Tony.

“Crazy day, Mister Stark,” Peter said sleepily. “I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.” Peter let his gaze fall on Tony’s scarred face and side. He tried to rid his mind of the nagging fears from earlier as he gave one last yawn before falling into an uneasy sleep.

 

_Peter was looking inside of a house with frosted windows. It was snowing. A family was inside opening Christmas presents by the fire. Tony and Pepper were laughing as a baby tried grabbing a candy cane off of the tree with her tiny hands. The scene changed and he was standing in a field watching Tony encourage a young Morgan to walk on her own, while Pepper sat a distance away. He tried moving closer, but found his path blocked by an invisible barrier, separating himself from the family. Again, the scene changed and Peter was inside Tony’s lab. Tony was at Peter’s unofficial-official section of the lab. He was clearing off all of the boy’s belongings, putting them away in boxes. Pepper came down the stairs, closely followed by Morgan, who both began putting things together for a craft table for Morgan where Peter’s things had been. Peter felt his breath hitch in his chest. The scene dissolved for the last time as Peter looked in on a living room scene from behind a window. Morgan was fast asleep, curled up next to Tony, while Pepper lay on the other side of him, Tony’s arm wrapped around her. “I’m glad it’s just us here together,” Tony said._

_“Do you still miss Peter?” Pepper asked._

_“No, not really. I figured, it’s time to move on, and I have all I need right here. It’s time to put the past in the past. He’s not coming back. I need to forget about him,” Tony said, unconcerned._

_Peter felt himself sway on the spot. “Mister Stark, please no, I’m here! I’m right here! Please don’t forget about me!” Peter screamed from the other side of the window, banging his fists, but the man could not hear. He continued to pound his fists on the glass, willing them to make enough noise to alert the man to his presence. He fell to his knees, tears splashing the ground beneath him. “I’m right here…I’m right here..., he sobbed.”_

_“Peter!” he heard in the distance. He didn’t look up. He didn’t want to be disappointed to find no one there, that the sound of his voice was a trick of the wind. He took a shuddering breath._

_“Peter. Kid! Wake up!” Peter felt a sting on his shoulder as his eyes flashed open._

_________________

 

“Peter. Kid! Wake up!”

Peter shot up with a gasp and a sob. He looked towards the voice, his eyes streaming with tears and saw Tony sitting up in the bed next to him, his hand on his arm and his eyes wide with concern. Suddenly, Peter looked away, finding that he did not want to look at the man. Peter quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and laid back down, still not looking at Tony. He felt stupid now for wanting his bed moved closer to Tony’s.

 

“Peter, what is it?” Tony asked quietly, his voice full of despondent concern.

“Nothing. It was just a bad dream. It’s fine,” Peter lied.

“Then can you look at me?”

Peter didn’t respond, but closed his eyes as more tears started to form.

“Peter,” Tony said gently, “Look at me.”

Peter turned his head, his eyes deceivingly red.

“Kid, talk to me. What’s wrong,” Tony asked imploringly, as if he were speaking to a young child.

Peter didn’t respond for a while, choosing to instead look at the ceiling.

“You’ve moved on,” Peter nearly whispered.

“What?” Tony asked, slight shock lacing his voice.

“You’ve moved on,” Peter repeated, a little louder.

“What are you talking about?” Tony asked, confused.

“These…these last five years. I don’t know how to live in a world where half the population has moved on and has lived a life that I haven’t. God, I don’t even know if Ned and MJ were dusted,” Peter gasped, throwing a hand over his eyes at the thought, “And you. You have a whole family now with Pepper and Morgan. Mister Stark, I’m not angry or jealous or anything like that. I absolutely love Morgan, but now…I mean…now you probably just want to focus on your family and forget about me, and I totally get it I mean I’ll just go back to Queens but will I still be a part of the Avengers and like when would I come back? I know it’ll just be professional like that and not like it was before, don’t worry, I won’t get in your way. Or not, if you just want me to not be an Avenger I guess when I’m ready I could just go be Spiderman in Queens but-” Peter was rambling to the point of hyperventilation until Tony spoke up.

“Woah…woah…Peter… slow down. _Slow down._ Look at me. _Look at me,”_ Tony said calmly, although Peter was surprised to see small tears forming in his eyes as well. He reluctantly turned to look at Tony.

“You’ve honestly been worried about that? How long as this been eating at you, kid?” Tony asked quietly.

“Soon after I met Morgan a few weeks ago,” Peter said, somewhat ashamedly, before continuing quickly, “but it’s not her, I swear, Mister Stark. I love her so much. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a kid more in my life, I just-,” Peter was cut off as Tony held up a hand.

“Kid stop,” he said, not unkindly. He looked down at the railing attacked to the side of his bed and slid it down. He then slid Peter’s down so that there was not barrier between the two beds.

“C’mere,” Tony said casually, gesturing Peter to come closer on the bed. Peter looked hesitant until Tony said, “Kid, you and I both know that we both lost our sense of embarrassment when we had to pee in bags after they stuck tubes up our…well…” he trailed, shuddering at the thought. “Come on, scoot your boot,” he said again. Peter slid over onto Tony’s bed and Tony promptly wrapped his arm around the boy, pulling Peter’ head onto his shoulder.

“How could you ever think that I’d forget about you or that, by having Morgan, you’d just cease to exist in my life?” Tony asked incredulously. Peter gave a noncommittal shrug, trying to stifle a sniff.

“It’s just…different. It’s going to be so different. I don’t want to get in the way of your new life,” Peter said dejectedly.

“Peter, of _course_ it’s going to be different! Kid, for goodness sakes, I’ve traveled through time only after _inventing_ said time travel. I used the six governing forces of the universe to _resurrect_ half of the population and lost my arm in the process. Of _course_ things are going to be different. Things were different the moment you latched onto that ship and followed me into space. Things were different from the moment you clung onto me after the snap and begged me to save you. I knew I would never _ever_ be the same the moment you died in my arms. Call me selfish, but the only reason I came back to help the Avengers was because I realized I didn’t want to live in a world without you in it, even though I had Pepper and Morgan. What _isn’t_ different, however, is the fact that you have always been and will always be like a son to me. I think me telling you that is long overdue. Peter, part of me died with you after the snap. What you fail to realize is that this ‘new life’ that you keep talking about _includes you_. I did all this so that my new life _could_ include you. You are part of this family, Peter Parker and always will be. You are a part of the Avengers family and you along with Pepper and Morgan? You _are_ my life, Peter. Certainly not in the way of it.”

 

“I don’t know how I’m going to adjust to this new world,” Peter said sadly, “How do you just plop back into a world after being dusted for five years?”

“Kid, I _wasn’t_ dusted and I don’t know how I’m going to adjust to this new world. What I can tell you is that we will do this together. It’s not going to be the way it was. I’ll never deny that. The world is going to have to find a new normal and it _will_ find that new normal. Seven billion people, snapped, not snapped are going to be working together to rebuild what we’ve lost, and you know what? We may never get it back. We may never get back what we lost. Honestly? I don’t think we will. But that doesn’t mean it’s automatically horrible. We are going to grow from this, seven billion of us… and that’s just counting this one planet.”

 

Tony turned so he was facing Peter directly now, taking his hand from where it had rested on Peter’s head and moved it to lift up Peter’s chin so that they were face to face.

“You’re not alone, Peter. You have never been and will never be alone. There are people who genuinely, unceasingly, and irrevocably love you and I’m sorry you have _ever_ thought anything other than that. We are going to build that new normal and I will be by your side through every step of it. I wouldn’t dream of anything else. Please, _please_ believe me,” Tony finished emphatically.

Peter looked into the scarred face of his mentor, both of their eyes glistening with tears, and he found, finally, that he believed him.

“I do,” he whispered finally.

Tony responded by pulling Peter’s head back onto his chest with a shuddering sigh. Peter felt Tony place a gentle kiss on the top of his head, holding it there for a few seconds.

“I love you, kid. More than you will ever know,” Tony murmured.

Peter sighed, letting himself sink further into Tony’s chest. “I love you too, Mister Stark,” he replied, his eyes closing.

 

As dawn came and went, continuing into late morning, the day would find Bruce Banner entering the room to find his two patients still fast asleep, Tony holding Peter’s head gently in his hand and Peter curled into Tony’s side, his head resting on Tony’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear, dear readers, my fic is coming to an end. There will be a shorter epilogue-type chapter after this one and then my story will be over.  
> I hope you enjoyed my softest chapter yet, full of Irondad and Spiderson feels. I enjoyed writing it so much and I wish I had a Tony Stark in my life!  
> I've always held the idea of "a new normal" close to my heart. I hate change so much but no matter what life throws at me, I have to keep reminding myself that things won't seem different forever, that I will find a new normal and continue to learn and grow from it.  
> I hope you let me know what you thought of this chapter! I'd very much love your feedback!


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not going anywhere, kid. I’m not going anywhere. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> General side note:  
> I toyed with the idea of having Tony tell Peter that he loved him 3000, but I kind of wanted that to be something special between Tony and Morgan.  
> Also, Steve doesn't stay in the past with Peggy.

Three Months Later

 

“On your left,” Steve said easily, running slightly passed Sam, still keeping level with the Falcon.

“Are you ever going to stop that?” Sam asked with an exasperated laugh.

“ _I_ may, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook,” Steve said with an ornery smile. Before Sam could ask what he meant by that, there came a playful duo of, “On you’re right!” as Peter and Bucky came leaping comically past the two men, high fiving in the air before sticking their tongues out at Sam.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me,” Sam grumbled. He slowed to a walk as the other men followed suit, “Alright kids, here we are.”

The four Avengers stopped at a familiar oak tree, resting under its shade.

“Ok, let’s check in. Bucky, you go first,” Sam said as he, Peter, and Bucky each pulled out a small notepad.

“So, apparently the biggest thing was 3D printing because it saved resources and things could be made cheaply and efficiently,” Bucky read off of his notepad, “The biggest surge in 3D printing came soon after the snap to help build bionic limbs for those injured in the aftermath of the snap…I still don’t get 3D printing, though. Is it ink? How do you make a fake arm out of ink?” Bucky asked, confused, flexing the fingers on his own metal arm, looking at it skeptically.

“No, it’s like you put different materials into a machine and it uses those materials to create a product, which you design on a computer,” Peter piped up.

“Weird,” Bucky said, unconvinced, “Sam, what’d you find out?”

“I found out plastic bags and plastic straws were banned in all fifty states by 2022. Peter? How about you?”

“None of the Jonas Brothers were snapped and they got back together in 2019,” Peter offered weakly. “Sorry,” he shrugged, “I couldn’t find much that happened in the past five years to catch up on.”

“Understandable,” Steve said sadly, “We weren’t really focused on cultural development during those five years. I guess you could say we had bigger things on our minds.”

“Peter, how have the nightmares been? I thought I heard you get up last night,” Bucky asked, concerned.

“They’re ok. Sometimes I dream about Titan and sometimes I dream that I’m here on Earth, but every time, I’m all alone. There’s never anyone around,” Peter said, sadly.

“What about last night?” Sam prompted, gently.

“Umm, I dreamt about Tony again…when he used the stones,” Peter said quietly, “He didn’t survive. I was screaming his name but then the scene changed and we were back in the Avengers compound talking about nothing in particular as if he survived, so I was more confused than anything. I still couldn’t sleep though after that, so I went downstairs,” Peter finished.

“That’s good that your dreams are starting to change a little bit, though,” Sam said encouragingly, “Did you go through the process we talked about?”

“Yeah, I reminded myself of all the things I knew to be true, like Tony being alive, me still being on Earth, etc. That’s also why I went walking. My spider hearing can pick up everyone’s heartbeats if I get close enough to their doors, so I know you all are still alive. Walking around the new compound is nice too. It reminds me that we’re moving forward.”

“It’ll take more than a giant grape to get rid of us, Pete,” Bucky reassured, smiling, “And you know you can always come get one of us. We’re here for you. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night. I’d pass Steve though, he gets cranky without his sleep.”

“Not true,” Steve said laughing, “All of us are here for you, Peter. Any time, any day.”

Peter smiled as Steve gave him a comforting squeeze on the shouler.

“Come on, guys, let’s get going. Last one back has to make breakfast,” Steve said, giving a small smirk to Sam.

“I hate all of you,” Sam yelled after the trio, as they streaked past him.

They arrived back at the new Avengers compound twenty minutes later. The new building was situated close to Tony’s lakeside cabin, surrounded by trees and far secluded from the general population. Peter liked it this way. It made him feel safe and protected. Not really expecting Sam to cook for them all, Peter pulled a protein shake out of the fridge from the day before and made his way down to elevator. He stepped in and a voice greeted him.

“Hello, Peter. Did you have a nice run?”

“I did, thanks F.R.I.D.A.Y. Is Tony down in his lab?” Peter asked.

“Boss is currently in his lab, yes. Would you like me to take you there?”

“Yes, please,” Peter said, taking a sip of his shake as the elevator began to descend.

A moment later, the doors had barely opened when a 35 lb. _something_ slammed into his lower torso, knocking the wind out of him, more out of surprise than by weight. He staggered and looked down to find Morgan Stark wearing pink pajamas and her arms slung around his waist.

“Peter!” she yelled into his belly button, her voice muffled.

“Princess Mo, defender of the lab,” Peter said regally, kneeling down on one knee in front of her, his arm turned in front of him in servitude.

“State your business, Knight,” Morgan asked sternly.

“I wish to greet the King, your majesty,” Peter replied, mock-seriously.

“You may enter,” Morgan declared, respectfully.

“Princess Maguna, I heard Sir Bucky was disrespecting the royal house of Stark,” Tony said from across the room, “Punishment has been declared as tickles until the criminal has made breakfast for Princess Maguna. Do you accept the task set before you?”

“I do, my liege,” Morgan said, sprinting out of the lab.

“The king requires you _walk_ inside of the castle,” Tony yelled after her.

“Hey, kid,” Tony said, smiling, looking up from his table where a new prototype arm was visible.

“New arm?” Peter asked casually.

“Yep. This one isn’t working. Too glitchy and I’m adding a back scratcher on this new one. Essential upgrade,” Tony replied, very businesslike. He set down his screwdriver on the table and looked up at Peter, “How’d you sleep, kid?”

“Ok,” Peter said.

“Let me rephrase. How was your nighttime stroll at 4am?” Tony asked.

“Peter began to say, “I wasn’t-” but Tony cut across him.

“I know you get up and walk around the compound when you can’t sleep. I just give you your space and trust that you’ll come to me if you need to. Was it another nightmare again?”

Rather than arguing the fact that Tony had been logging his sleeping habits, Peter shrugged. “Just a little one. It was about you,” he said quietly.

“What happened?” Tony asked, concerned, but not pityingly.

“You died,” Peter stated quietly. “I was screaming for you to wake up, but you were dead. I heard your heart stop, but then the scene changed and we were back in your cabin and you were alive again. That’s why I went walking; I needed to hear your heart beating, just to make sure.”

“Come here, Pete,” Tony said softly, holding out his arm. As Peter walked closer to Tony, Tony noticed he was trembling slightly.

“It’s ok,” Tony whispered, guiding Peter’s forehead to rest against Tony’s chest. He gently took Peter’s hand and placed it over his heart.

“Still beating,” Tony said quietly. “This heart has been through some tough shit. It’s not going to go out without a fight.”

 

Peter closed his eyes as he felt a tear slide down his cheek. He felt Tony rest his chin on the top of his head.

“I’m not going anywhere, kid. I’m not going anywhere. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness. I can't believe this fic has come to an end. What started out as an idea for ONE OR TWO CHAPTERS has become *this* and I couldn't be happier. Please believe me when I say I appreciate everyone who has read my first ever fic, every kudos, and every comment! They all mean the world to me and thank you so much for coming on this (longer than expected) journey with me! I love you 3000!


End file.
